Wild Hunts (2 page)

Despite the numbing pain rushing through her body, she bent down and landed a single punch square to the man’s nose, snapping his head to the side. He shuddered and became silent, his eyes rolling back into his head. Blood poured from his nostrils.

Her satisfaction was smothered as her ribs grated, a brutal reminder that her injuries were dire and she was still in danger. Essentially, she couldn’t fight to protect herself, and being in the field in her condition would ultimately kill her.

Time to go. There’s nothing more you can do now.

Her wild instinct cooed to her wounded pride, which roared in protest. Yep, she had definitely fucked this one up, but she wouldn’t leave the mess due to a broken bone. She spun and—

“Dammit,” she barked, clutching her side with both her hands. How many ribs did that buffoon break? Just to ease her frustration, she kicked the unconscious man at her feet and hissed. That’s it. Broken bones won this time. She begrudgingly accepted she had no other option but to leave. Submitting to her failure, she turned away from the man and limped along, away from the torture cave and all the weres that would be left to a fate she couldn’t bear to imagine. Each step was agonizing. Each breath rattled her vision. At this pace, she’d be hunted in minutes by another beefed-up puppet. If she changed—

No!

The aroma of her flowing blood was bad enough, surely already in the noses of those tracking her. She picked up her pace. Warmth streamed down her face from the gash on her forehead, mocking her thoughts. She growled, wiping it away with her ruined sweater sleeve. The raunchy odor of deep earth and feces from her attacker clung to her skin and clothes, riling her already unsettled stomach. Dead leaves and pine needles tangled in her hair. A shower, a rare steak and wine, and time to recoup were all she needed. At the rate she was going, it was still hours away.

“You fucking thug. Can’t believe you broke my ribs,” she muttered under her breath.

A sharp crack snagged her attention. She froze and tried to suck in a deep breath. Her chest protested even as her wolf demanded it. A scent, one much different from what she had encountered a short time ago at the lake, shot her guard up. Her skin tingled. Her heart slowed a beat then sped up to racing. She sidled by a tree, using the thick trunk to shield her. If a human sought her, he’d walk right by.

If it was a wolf…

Bracing herself for another rush of pain, she crouched low to the ground and inhaled again. The scent magnified. Bones grated in her chest. It was a potent brew of wild, feral, and, as she feared, wolf. It was a powerful scent, an erotic scent that lit her lower belly to life.
This isn’t the time…

No way around it. Her lip curled back. Practically helpless to defend herself in such a state, she could never outrun another wolf in her human form. She only had one chance to escape this cave-break gone askew. As it was, the fine, snowy fur had already begun to press through her skin.

With broken bones, she risked a change, knowing well enough something might not transform properly.

Crack, step, thud. Consecutive noises she felt vibrate through the ground. A beast lurked close, drawing nearer with each step. Her muscles stiffened, her wolf prowling along the seams of her spirit.

A howl split the brisk night air. A dangerous growl reverberated through the forest trees, followed by the pungent odor of blood. Fresh, metallic blood. The smell was so strong it churned with the furtive scent of fear and death. She tasted it on her tongue and breathed it into her spirit. Judging by the sounds, the predator was not far off and the death howl came from the general direction of her unconscious attacker.

Moistening her lips, she gave in to the restless wolf. Her clothing tore as her body fluidly melted from human to canine. Fur, as opulent and white as virgin snow, lengthened, coating her. Her bones rearranged themselves, her battered ribs grating slowly into place. She could feel her wolfen spirit mending her wounds, fusing bones back together at an astonishing rate. Her wolf would heal her quickly, but her stark coat would make her stand out in the dark night.

The predator snorted. Paw steps approached where she hid. Claws scraped over dead forest debris, raking across her nerves.

She twisted and leaped toward deeper forest as she finished her transformation. In this flesh, her injuries did little to hamper her extreme agility and grace. Fusing mind and body together, she fell into her natural self and followed her instinctual voice.

Each carefully calculated leap and bound whipped at her sensitive snout. Her fur rustled. Her paws barely grazed the ground as she pressed forward. The air smelled sweet and woodsy, bitter and bloody.

The hunt was on. She was the prey.

She lunged over a narrow stream, the waters high from recent heavy rains. She slid beneath a fallen tree trunk, grappled over a row of boulders, and landed on the ground below. Her claws failed to grip the steep, needle-covered incline and her rear swung around, pulling her down. As she slid, her hind legs caught beneath her. Swallowing a yelp, she anchored her hind paws into the soft dirt, scrambled to right herself, and used the downhill momentum to propel her forward, closer to escape.

The hill leveled, and she plowed ahead.

A dark figure stepped in her path. Kasa tried to bank right, but the predator was too close. She slid on her ass and spun in the opposite direction.

Weight pressed down on her unstable hips. Her legs buckled and she landed on her belly, splayed over the ground. Teeth clamped down on her scruff. Strong paws held her shoulders, pinning her helplessly to the forest floor. The dark figure that had blocked her path slinked around her, coming in front of her once more.

Her heart pounded against her chest.
Two of them
.

The large black-and-gray wolf lowered at her head, his snout inches from hers. She growled despite the vibrant heat that washed through her blood. The wolf on her back returned the growl against her scruff. The one at her snout merely pulled back his lips in what seemed to be a smile.

“Foolish of you to be out here alone, putting yourself at risk. Good thing we found you.”

Kasa stiffened. She couldn’t tell which one spoke to her, but neither seemed to know just why she was here. Which could be good.

Or very, very bad.

“What are you doing out here where rebels stalk the night?”

Kasa tried to shimmy from beneath the wolf on her back. His teeth tightened on her flesh. His paws pressed into her shoulders. The black-and-gray at her nose shifted closer and licked her. Desire struck her fiercely, dimming her vision. A new sensation extinguished the last of her pain, replacing it with a basic yearning. A basic hunger. The heat pulsing off this stranger spread over her, through her, deep inside her spirit. His pale blue eyes flickered before his warm tongue brushed her again.

“Answer me.”

Kasa tried to fight the urge to close her eyes while pinned to the ground in a hot zone. They were barely a mile away from the cave, too close to be considered safe. Despite the heaviness weighing in her womb and the sudden weakness that curled along her muscles, she blinked and held the black-and-gray’s piercing gaze.

“That’s none of your business,”
she snapped along the newly acquired telepathic line. A familiar hum touched along another line.

The approach was stealth and silent until the moment the two wolves launched themselves at the duo holding her. The weight on her back vanished with a rumbling growl. The black-and-gray viciously engaged the wolf who jumped him. Kasa sprang to her paws and shook the dirt from her coat.

“Dammit, Kasa. How many times must I tell you to stop your thrill-seeking ordeals?”
A light brown wolf trotted up to her, his amber eyes seeing past her to the brawl taking place among the four wolves. He snorted then swatted her hind quarters with a paw.
“Let’s go.”

“I don’t think they were captives.”
The tremor in her tone drew that soul-penetrating amber gaze back to her. Pointed ears perked up. She shook her head and started away from the brawling wolves.
“Jordan, don’t give me that look. I’m not in the mood.”

“You think I’m in the mood to chase after my insane sister who insists on breaching rebel territory? I’d much rather be home with a damn beer and a girl.”

Kasa snarled, slinking alongside her brother. She cast the wolves a glance over her shoulder. The two wolves from her brother’s pack retreated behind them. Their threatening growls rolled through the night, warning the strangers not to follow. By the looks of it, the two submissive wolves whom her brother and their pack mates saved her from took their warnings seriously. The black-and-gray bared his white teeth but showed no signs of attacking. The other, a gray-and-white, sat down and looked around as if nothing was out of the ordinary for this night.

The stunning blue gaze landed on her for a haunting moment. Kasa swallowed, her throat severely parched. Jordan came up behind her and nudged her forward with the tip of his snout. She turned away and took off, following the scent trail her brother and the others left upon their approach.

* * * *

It took every last ounce of self-control to keep from transforming. Micah watched the small pack disappear into the dark forest. He waited and listened, absolutely sure they weren’t nearby before he changed from wolf to man. His body seethed with carnal hunger. Not even the cold winter’s air could temper the molten heat of his blood.

And to watch her lope off after searching for her for so long…

He fisted his fingers by his side until a mewling drew his attention away from the abandoned path in front of him to his brother. Slade Castrove nestled against the forest floor, pressing the side of his light gray head over leaves.

“Slade, what the hell are you doing?” Micah growled. He moistened his lips and soon regretted it. The wild flavor of the white’s fur lingered against his skin and poured over his tongue. He kissed her twice and didn’t miss the way she reacted to his unabashed approach. Fuck, her sudden arousal still scented the air, however subtle it might be.

Slade rolled onto his back and wriggled over the ground. Micah cast his gaze to the sky. “Man, stop coating yourself in her scent. It’s only going to drive you crazy.”

The wolf flipped over and climbed to his paws. He shook the leaves and dirt from his coat. Within a handful of moments, Slade changed into his human form and shot him a smile. His gaze lowered to Micah’s prominent erection.

“At least I can sleep easily with her surrounding me. You’ll be fisting yourself until we find her again,” Slade teased. He brushed aside a dark wave from his black eyes and moved to a tree a few yards away. Micah scrutinized his brother as the man crouched down and retrieved something from the ground. “Ah, look here.”

“What?” Micah came up to Slade’s side, barely catching a ball of soft fabric tossed at him. The sweet scent of the white instantly filled his nostrils. He shuddered. “Who were the others?”

“Not sure. Doubt it’s a boyfriend and his cohorts. Scents were too similar. Most likely siblings, and the brown’s the alpha. As soon as he redirected our precious little white away from us, the idiots who engaged us backed off,” Slade said, still wearing his smile. The man lacked any sense of seriousness, which pissed Micah off at the moment. Figuring out who they would be facing to get to their mate was pretty fucking serious.

Micah bunched up the ruined sweater and held it to his nose. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, filling his lungs with her scent. A soft moan escaped him.

“We’ll search for her soon. Right now, those idiots forgot to cover her trail from the real threat. Those reprogrammed weres will be hot on their heels in no time if we don’t make her disappear.”

“And how do you suppose we do that, hmm?” Slade straightened up, a pair of tattered jeans draped over his arm. Micah scanned the forest around them. His gaze fell on the dead, decapitated corpse half hidden in a thick bush. He nodded toward the body and held up the article of clothing.